Milk-bottle cap



De'c. 23, 1930. l.. ToWY MILK BOTTLE GAP Filed Nov. 7, 1928 IWI/enferLzlllianLTO Patented Dec. 23; 1930 UNITED STATES LILLIAN TOW'Y, 0FINGLEWOD, CALIFORNIA I MILK-BOTTLE CAP Application vfiled November 7,1928.. Serial No. 317,753.'

This invention relates to, closures for re ceptacles, and moreespecially to lan improved type of milk-bottle cap.

An object ofthe invention is the provision of a novel closure for theopening of a receptacle, this closure having means for facilitatingremoval thereof When access to the interior of the receptacle isdesired.

A more specialized object is the provision of a disc of material havinga certain'degree of resilience-for example, cardboard,-

adapted to be inserted inthe top of such a receptacle as a milk-bottle,to provide a clo.

sure therefor, capable of normally retaining the contents of the bottle,and which is provided With novel means for facilitating the removal ofthe closure When access to the in-l terior of the receptacle is desired,as for the purpose of filling the bottle or emptying the contentstherefrom.

A further object is the provisiony of a receptacle closure as described,in which the vmeans 'for facilitating `removal, comprises an area ofreduced resilience, such as a score eX- tending across the closure, andalso provided With means such as a tab affixed to the closure adjacentthe said area ofvreduced resilience, With the result that When this tabis pulled, theclosure Will buckle alono' the line of the said area,reducing the effective Width of the closure measured along a lineperpendicular to the said area, Witha consequent loosening of theengagement of the closure with that portion of the receptacle to whichit is attached. Milkbottle caps have previously been'supplied With tabsfor facilitating the removal thereof, but it has been found in practice,that the engagementof the closure with the mouth of the bottle, is inmost cases, sufliciently secure to result in tearing of the tab from thecap before the cap itself, is loosened from the bottle. It is an objectof my invention therefore,l to improve upon milkbottle caps providedwith removing-tabs, iny

such a manner that the removal of the cap is effected Wthout requiring apulling force to be exerted upon the tab, suflicient to overcome theultimate strength of the material of which 5o the cap and/or closure isconstructed.

A still further object is the provision of a milk-bottle cap having animproved type of removal-tab, this tab being formed by a plurality ofpairs of bounding scores whereby the tab may be severed from the body ofthe closure alonfr all but one edge thereof, and the scores o each pairbeing upon opposite faces of the closure and slightly offset from eachother, facilitating severingrof the tab from the body of the closure.

The invention possesses other objects and `advantageous features, someof which, with those enumerated, will be set forth in the followingdescription o f the inventions part-icular embodiment Which isillustrated in the 05 drawings accompanying and forming a part of thespecification. I

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective View of the top of a conventional milk-bottleclosed by a cap incorporating the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, showing the cap with itsremoving-tab raised to operative position and the cap itself, buckled asin the operation of being removed from the milk-bottle. v i vF ig. 3 isa vertical sectional'r View of the upper portion 'of the bottle and capof Fig. 2, the plane of section being indicatedlby the line 3-3 of thatfigure.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a bottle cap incorporating the features of myinvention. t

Fig. 5 isa vertical sectional view taken upon the line 5-5'of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a Vertical sectional View takenA upon the line 6-6 of Fig.4.

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 5, but showl .ing the cap withtheremoving-tab raised to i' operative position, and the cap itself,buckled` as in the operation of being removed. L The closure of myinvention is herein described as being employed to close the mouth 11 ofa conventional milk-bottlefglQ. Receptacles of this nature are commonlyclosed by a disc of suitable materialsuch'as waxed card- 95 boardpressed into' the mouth 11. For this purpose a notch 13 is formed in theinner circumfere'ne of the mouth of the bottle, this notch 13`beingdefined by a vertical shoulder 14: and a horizontal shoulder 16.4 AIt iscus- 100 tomary to so dimension the closure disc that its edges arepressed into tight engagement with the vertical shoulder 14 when theclosure is pressed into place, providing a suiliciently tight ointbetween the mouth of the receptacle and the closure, to satisfactorilyretain the contents. However, it has been found in order to insure asufficiently tight seal, the edges of the closure disc must engage thevert-ical Wall 14 so tightly that difficulty 1s encountered in removingthe closure. ln fact, even though these closures have previously beensupplied with a tab which may be raised and pulled, the engagement ofthe closure with the mouth of the receptacle, is so tight that the tabwill be severed from the closure before the engagement of the closurewith the receptacle is broken.

Accordingly, the closure 21 incorporatlng the features of my invention,has been dimensioned to fit within the space defined by the shoulder 14with its edges pressed firmly against that shoulder with a sufficientdegree of tightness to provide a satisfactory seal.

' This closure may be formed of any suitable material such as cardboardeither waxed or not, according to the particular requirements. However,this material should be possessed of sufficient resilience to retain theclosure in shape when it is pressed into the annular notch 13. The formof the closure herein shown and described, is a disc, since it is to bereceived within the round mouth 11 of a milk-bottle 12. It should beunderstood however, that in the event a receptacle having a differentshaped mouth, is to be closed, the hclosure may be shaped to conformtherewit An area of reduced resilience extends across the disc 21. Aconvenient method of forming this area is by providing a score 22extending thereacross. Preferably this score 22 is in the inner face ofthe disc 21 and is disposed diametrically thereof. Y

A removing-tab 23 is also provided so that the removal of the closure 21may be facili-I tated by grasping the tab 23 and pulling thereon. Thistab 23 is formed by a plurality of bounding scores 26, 27, and 28, inthe outer face of the disc 23, and scores 29, 31, and 32 in the innerface. The scores 26 and 29, and the scores 28 and 32, terminate adjacentthe score 22 and at points considerably spaced so that the base of thetab 23 or that portion of the tab which is not intended to be severed bfrom the body of the disc, is disposed adjacent the area kof reducedresilience. The bounding scores 26 and 29, 27 and 31, and 28 and 32, arearranged in airs, the scores of each air being sli htly o set from eachother as in icated upon igs. 4, 5, and 6. Preferably each of the scoresextends into the associated surface of the disc a distance substantiallycorresponding to half the thickness of the disc, with the result thatwhen it is desired to sever all the bounding edges of the tab 23, exceptthe base thereof, from the body of the disc'21, this may be accomplishedby tearing the material ofwhich the disc is formed, in a plane parallelto the faces thereof, taking advantage of the laminated nature of thematerial of the disc in the event that such material as cardboard isemployed. A notch 36 is formed in the outer face of the body of the discadjacent the score 27, permitting the insertion of a finger-nail tofacilitate severing the `tab 23 from the disc. It should be observedthat each of the bounding edges of the tab 23 is formed by a pair ofscores, with the exception of the base 37 which is defined by the singlescoreI 22. Consequently, the connection between the tab 23 at the base37, is possessed of greater tensile strength than the other connect-ionsbetween the tab 23 and the body of the disc 21.

In operation, the closure disc 21 is pressed into the notclrl3 of thereceptacle 12, in the usual manner, without disturbing the tab 23 fromthe body of the disc 21. When it is desired to remove the disc 21 inorder to open the receptacle, the tab 23. should first be raised `asindicated upon Figs. 2 and 6. Then this tab niafy be grasped and pulled,and since the base o the tab 23 is secured to the body of the disc 21adjacent the diametrically extending score 22, a tendency will bedeveloped for the disc 21 to buckle, reducing the effective diameter ofthe disc measured perpendicularly to the score 22, with the result thatthe disc 21 may be easily withdrawn from the mouth 11 of the bottle 12.

t should be further observed, that the tab 23 may be raised, forming anopening 38 in the disc 21, and the disc may be left in its normalposition within the mouth l1 of the bottle 12, should it be desired toemploy the well known sipping-straws for the removal of the contents ofthe bottle.

It is to be understood that the details of the invention as hereindisclosed, are subject to alteration Within the spirit or scope of theappended claims.

claim:

l. A milk bottle cap comprising a flat disc of paper or similar materialweakened for `folding purposes upon a transversely extending line, and atab for removing the disc, said tab being permanently connected to thedisc adjacent the weakened line and normally eing disposed in a planeparallel to the plane of the disc.

, 2. A milk bottle cap comprising a flat disc of paper or similarmaterial weakened for lolding purposes upon a transversely extendingline, and a tab for removing the disc, said tab being formed integralwith the disc and normally being disposed in the plane thereof, said tabeing adapted to remain permanently 1connected to the dise adjacent saidweakened 3. A milk bottle cap comprising a flat circular disc of paperor similar material weakened for folding purposes upon a diametricalline and a tab for removing the disc, said tab being formed integralwith the disc and normally being disposed inthe plane thereof, said tabbeing adapted to remain permanently connected to the disc adjacent saidweakened line.

4. A milk bottle cap comprising a flat disc of paper weakened forfolding purposes upon a diametrical line, there being cuts formed on theupper side of said disc extending partially through the disc defining atab formed integral with the disc adapted to remain permanentlyconnected to the disc adjacent said weakened' line.

5. A milk bottle cap Comprising a Hat disc of paper weakened for foldingpurposes upon a diametrical line, there being cuts formed on the upperside of said disc extending partially through the disc defining a tabformed integral with the disc L adapted to remain permanently connectedto the disc adacent,

said weakened line, there beingsimilar cuts formed on theunder side ofthe disc extending partially through the disc which are parallel' to butspaced from the cuts on the upper side of the disc.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LILLIAN TOWY.

